"Punta Cana, Dominican Republic " a Punta Cana Travel Page by travelgirl3

In February '03, we travelled to the Dominican Republic for the first time. Like Cuba, the DR is very popular with Canadians, so on a whim, we booked a list minute trip and started packing. We stayed in Punta Cana, which is on the East Coast, and is one of the newer tourist areas in the DR.

Punta Cana has some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen! With it's sugar-like sand, and overhanging palm trees, it truly is paradise! You can walk for miles, and once you get a little ways away from the resorts, it can be very private too.

On our first visit, we stayed at the Occidental Allegro Punta Cana, a wonderful little resort. Due to its positioning on the beach, there are only 2 other resorts, 1 on either side, then the fishing village of Cabeza del Toro, then a beach that goes on and on.

We had such a wonderful time that we couldn't wait to go back again, but wanted to try a larger resort. We have stayed at the Barcelo resort in Mexico, and were impressed with their quality and level of service. Because of this, Barcelo's tend to book fast, so by August when the brochures came out, we had booked for April '04. I've never booked anything that far in advance, but when you know what you want, you go for it!

The Barcelo didn't let us down. Once again, we enjoyed a another fabulous week on the beach in Punta Cana. It is a wonderful place to relax and soak up the sun and the waves. You can't beat it!

The Dominican people are wonderful, happy, and seem to have a real joie de vivre. One day, I was taking a picture and a resort worker snuck up behind me and tickled my ankle, making me jump thinking it was a bug! He laughed and laughed!! And so did I!

They are full of laughter, and you can always hear somebody singing. When you think of how little money they make, it really makes you think about how we have it all, and still aren't happy - it certainly helps to keep things in perspective